Watch Part 2 here! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sHp-AeBuu0k.html Also - Errata: I mention that Call Lightning follow up damage doesn't scale in D&D - I was confusing it with Witch Bolt - it scales just the same as in BG3 :). Also, not really an errata but they fixed enraged throw as of patch 3 so it no longer applies frenzied strain. Woo hoo!
Dude, can you go for a BG3 specific deep dive into controlling for initiative. Having all partymembers act at the same time is so much more useful than having them spread out. I think it would actually be more useful to have low initiative across the board just for this reason. But I honestly dont know what a +6 will result in, since I do not know the initiative of the enemies. What is the majority, what are the initiatives of bosses, and so on. TBH, I wished that Larian would home-brew this in an update, and use Initiative in two stages. The mean of each group involved in the battle is compared for turn-order of the player. Then computer controlled initiative function like it does now. If it somehow breaks balance, then add some enemies to every encounter or something. It is as much a QoL as a benefit in combat. Damn, sometimes I wish I learned how to mod.
@@rthj6446 I think simultaneous party actions by average initiative would be a great toggle setting in-game. I would consider providing an exception for turn 1 specifically, since assassins getting lumped into the party would make them feel REALLY bad if you went last.
Your build for Wyll have me divided now... I was thinking him in my mind Warlock 5 into Paladin 5 with Bard 2 (thematically) but the Warlock 5 Bard 7 sounds appealing as well! (also with the Duellist's Prerogative Rapier using our bonus action for an extra attack - Dueller's Enthusiasm - when Hex is already up and/or we are concentrating on something else )
Yes, I did make Shadowheart a Light Domain Cleric. My main is a Half-Drow, Urchin, Draconic Sorcerer with two levels of Fiend Warlock. Lae'zel is a Vengeance Paladin, currently wielding the flaming greatsword the Cambion on the ship can be commanded to drop. Astarion is an Arcane Trickster, and Gale is an Abjuration Wizard.
Said this elsewhere but I wanted to say, I know you hesitated a bit on this but I actually took a break on the game a bit because I felt like I was, no joke, not optimized in a way that respected how important the companions were to me. I wasn't really sure how best to do that, and this helps so much. Thanks for all your hard work, Colby!! It's like having a bestie I can get advice from 'on demand' 💚
I was under the impression that D&D Wizards got to learn spells from scrolls like BG3! In retrospect, I see why that would be problematic, but I actually wonder (as a writer, so seeing this as a plot thing) if it's meant to lessen the stress on Dungeon Masters for tabletop? If you have to worry about your team knowing a spell vs. just finding it, that adds complexity, but for a game, that's less of a Thing, IMO. *watches more*
@@darsyniaAt my table, the wizard can and often does learn spells from scrolls, and my artificer can now use any spell scroll(with an appropriate arcana check) since scrolls are magic items, and artificers can bypass magic item class, race, and level requirements after a certain point
I suspect Larion put the starting stats on mostly odd numbers so that new players will reach their first ASI and be able to put 1 point here, another point there, and see the significant boosts to their attacks and abilities. From a videogame design standpoint, it's a way to give someone completely new to the game a big reward for leveling up to that point.
I think it was because they designed them primarily as people, to us gamers it's crazy how they don't have optimized stats but for the devs who designed them, they probably see them more than just numbers on a screen.
@@ThelordHayden34 You can't start with 18 in BG3 or 5E if you're not rolling for stat. 17 is good for some build since it lets you take an ASI. It also allow you to reach 20 at level 4 if you SPOILERS FOR ACT I Get the hag hair which give +1 to any stat.
It's too bad there are no Twilight Clerics in BG3 cause that seems thematically perfect for Shadowheart. The bridge between darkness and light? So fitting.
@@marysbigpimp as the name implies, in a state in between day & night, aka light & dark, as for shadowheart context, i wont spoil you, just play the game ;)
This spoiler system is actually fantastic. It makes it super easy to scrub past them and doesn't disrupt the whole video or require a bunch of pinned time stamps. Great idea
God I’ve literally spent 160 hours in ONE playthrough and got really tired. However I freaking LOVE doing builds for this game, and I most certainly love watching you do it, Colby! Thank you for both BG3 and D&D videos you make, we all really, really appreciate that!
I finished today with 132h for that run. And next time I am going Tactition instead of Balanced and I like to play more optimized this time. I did a run with gutfeeling and it was fun. Now I am comfortable with challenging myself and the game. XD
I love this build for Wyll both mechanically and thematically. I've never really run with him, but this build makes me want to try! Great call thematically with the Bard. With his courtly upbringing, dancing, manners, diplomacy, etc - it's spot on.
He's my romance in my first playthrough and he even wants to have a romance "like the stories." My character is a bard and that's one of the reasons she fell for him, Wyll being a bard is an amazing choice for him.
I turned down Wyll's advances in my playthrough since I was thoroughly involved with Shadowheart and disinterested in polygamy, but he was in my party almost the entire time after Gale left to go erupt all over some poor sods in the underdark. He's a good guy though, and I'm glad I was able to set him up with Karlach in the end, even if thay are in Avernus together. He was a Paladin/Warlock multiclass with a 1 level Sorcerer dip in the final battle.
@@nathanfivecoate5848 I also went Paladin/Warlock for Wyll in my playthrough. The heroic nature of him and determination to hunt Devils screamed Oath of Vengeance to me.
Haven’t been this addicted to a game since DA Origins and these videos are a huge part of why. It is so much fun to build characters and I’ve learned a ton from each of these videos. Never played DD but that sponsor was a great opportunity for me to check it out and see if I enjoy it. Happy to join the channel and support the sponsor. 💪✊
I just started playing about a week ago and that's exactly how I've felt. DA Origins felt so much like a pure tabletop rpg and BG3 has so much of that same feel, as it should.
Lovely builds. as a note, upcasting Call Lightning in base 5e also scales the damage on future turns, not just the first one. It's Witch Bolt that only scales the initial damage.
@jeepersmcgee3466 it's good as a 1st level spell and the moment you get 2nd level it drops drastically and when you get to third level spells it is no longer needed
Spoilers for Shadowheart's story. In my second playthrough I started SH as a war domain cleric, since she says herself that her dream is to become a dark justiciar, and do Shar's bidding through violence. After the end of act 2 she became a light domain cleric, as her goddess changed and she found new powers. However, towards the end of act 3, and after she had saved her parents, I made her into a nature domain. My justification was that she was no longer completely devoted to a either Shar or Selune, was no longer trapped between darkness and light, and could pick for herself - that meant accepting both of those aspects within her, and look to her true passions: flowers, animals and nature. I found it sweet to imagine her, with her parents in a cottage somewhere, regaining her sense of self and rediscovering her love of nature.
I love your care and attention for Shadowheart! I'm gonna avoid upvoting this so it doesn't float too high re: spoilers, but I upvoted you in my heart!
When she became a dark justiciar, Which was lvl 9, i made her oathbreaker paladin5 and 4 points into warlock which i thought was a really cool idea since this gave her magical dark vision and allowed for some really cool use of her gear that she gets. Lvl 10 if you haste her she gets to attack 7 times a turn with advantage which gave me the biggest power surge of my whole life xD
I mean, in game she herself changes the diety she worships to Selune automatically, such as the writing for one of her paths, from darkness into light (the other is full darkness), but also becoming her own person and embracing her true self (which is over-arching theme for every companion in the game), so I guess if only we RP her into changing again to worship another diety after her parents die, burt then again, it's kinda fitting with how they die, but their lights are carried away that she worships Selune. Not to take from RP, just saying that in-game it is a bit different scripting (diety automatic change), you wrote a pretty cool RP-arc for her yourself. That is regardless of domain, which is cool either way, nature domain is cool.
@@nickrubin7312 100% agree. I read some of her conversations with her parents as her sort of taking a middle path between the two goddesses, or perhaps forsaking them both in a way. I am specifically thinking about her thoughts on keeping her name, not wanting to completely let go of her past and her shadows, and saying that she has lost too much to not, in some way still, be tied to Shar. But despite all that she has absolutely changed her deity. We know for sure that her divine powers come from Selune if we go down that path :)
Brother, you are a man after my own heart! While I like to be mechanically effective, I always seek to do so in an attempt to support the RP goal of the character. It seems that so many people embrace either end of the RP/Mechanic spectrum as if the two were mutually exclusive. It's nice to see someone who blends the two together.
Personally gale being an illusion wizard makes a lot of sense to me. Especially if you do his romance stuff he conjures so many illusions and stuff kinda just matches his flashy nature.
Wyll does really good as the "cheese grater" build. Pick up Sorrow, with gives a Thorns Whip as a bonus action. I haven't bothered going Druid for Spiked Growth because Swarm of Daggers does far more damage, and enemies just keep running into head first. Sorrow is a glaive that Wyll as a human always has proficiency with that you can get really early if you can pick pocket the key to get it as soon as you get to the grove. Could even go Thief for that extra bonus action so you can push and pull twice each a turn under Haste, or just pull 4 times with Thorn Whip and Sorrowful Thorns.
Funny how we think alike. Since release i've never neglected to equip wyll with sorrow in any of my playthroughs. It's really good for that bonus action thorns whip.
I've respecced her to both Light and Life in different runs. But always at the appropriate time. And yes, when that choice gets made, it's 100% right story-wise.
Light is just as good, having that HUGE aoe nuke being able to be used twice per short rest is great unless you're running a party with multiple aoe nukers already.
@@lolpaladins i played her as a life cleric/lore bard multiclass and while she was excellent support I found myself casting vicious mockery most turns if it was simply not necessary to cast any spelsl sometimes and that was a little bit underwhelming so I can absolutely see the benefit of going nuclear on a cleric. I've always wanted to play a damage cleric anyways in DnD but never got to it
These builds are already my headcanon on my next play! OMG, if every Origin is getting a build, we NEED a build for the Dark Urge! Maybe even two different thematic builds, one for embracing the Urge and one for refusing it!
If you wanted one for embracing Dark Urge, I saw a Wildheart Barb/Champion Fighter build that was an absolute monster. They went with the Tiger, and I think Tiger again or Wolverine totem. It would constantly cleave and crit. It was wild watching it solo fights and kill multiple opponents at the same time.
I started off as a Paladin, then I broke my Oath, then I multi-classed into Warlock. I'm trying to ride the line between evil and good, but I'm mostly just a softy, lol. Evil choices make me so uncomfortable.
This is very interesting as in the game if you pick The Dark Urge it defaults to a white dragon born storm sorcerer. I think if you don't pick Dark Urge you can find his body in the game.
I did the exact same thing with Will at level 6. He seemed like he needed to make a change and Bard was a perfect fit with his backstory and desire to redeem himself. I think it was his dialog about dancing and revelry that sparked the thought. Just fit. Besides, he rocks the hat with his horns.
Yeah, I'm not there yet in my current run, but had been leaning a paladin multiclass. After this I feel like Colby made some good points and I'm now loving the idea of a swords bard.
So did you run with Wyll in your party? What do you think about potentially going 17 CHA, using the Hag's air for 18, and then picking up Defensive Duellist as a feat?
@@ethanderrick8486 He's a party member, not my main. Switch him in and out depending on the situation. I used the Hags hair on my main. I am playing a Paladin/Warlock Oathbreaker myself which is why I went with Bard instead of Paladin for Wyll. For me, Will is all about his Eldrich blast and bardic inspiration. Add his Devil Sight with mine, on a darkness spell strategy, both with advantage... its a beautiful thing.
Nope, I couldn't change Wyll to Bard because his whole character progression arc is that he's a Warlock. Astarion on the other hand is a great Bard candidate and is maybe the most useful companion in the game for it.
This was so helpful! I was feeling overwhelmed and going through it, step by step, started to clear it up for me. Thank you so much for doing this. Thank you for taking in consideration their history & personalities. I'm sure I'm not the only one who really appreciates your thoughtfulness and hard work. I can't wait for part 2 & my girl Lae'zel! EDIT: Ranged Swords Bard?! Please?
I have my Wyll as a Bladelock/Ranger Knight and use him as a very tanky front-liner. I thought Ranger fit the Blade of Frontiers persona well, but I can definitely see Bard.
@@themudpit621 Now that youre a kid, this might be true for you. Not for all others. When you become an experienced adult, you become a lot better at knowing people. There are signs of good/bad, intelligent/dumb, judgemental pricks / kind persons, etc. This guy is wholesome. 99% chance he isnt a jerk to cashiers and isnt a dumbass redneck making society more idiocracy. Undoubtedly this guy is very intelligent. We know this for a fact. Just like how we know you are a bit immature thinking such shallow thoughts as everyone is unknowable in every context. Not true. We have objective evidence this guy is a lot smarter than most people who are incapable of the math and critical thinking required to make solid game builds. We also know he is very creative too. He is hard working on his channel and very charismatic too. There is plenty we do know. Which is why I said I wish more were like him.
Went Warlock/Paladin myself for Wyll, but that's a good call on Bard might try that next time. Funnily enough I took Shady and Karl the same paths with Storm/Light Cleric (no sub class though) and Chuck-zerker. Loving the BG3 videos, and wish you the best.
I turned Wyll into a stealth sorlock, gave him mintharas armor, better dexterity and invisibility (with eldritch blast and magic missile, yes, stealth missiles!)
Just want to say I’m a big fan of doing the origin characters separately, doing all of them at once would be risk burning you out. The less burnt out you are, the more you’ll enjoy making videos, which means I’ll get to enjoy more videos 😁
Man, I love your videos and your way of speaking. I met you with the release of Baldurs and hearing someone so well spoken and knowledgeable about something is satisfying. congratulations for your work.
Sounds like the best weapon for Karlach for this build would be the trident you get from the circus in Act 3, Nyrulna. it auto-returns to you, does extra thunder damage in a small aoe on hit, makes you immune to fall dmg, and adds 3m of move speed, plus it gives you 2 unique attacks; a charge and a gust of wind type attack.
I rocked that on my throwing build Karlach as soon as I got to act 3, but I felt so easy (even on tactician) that I ended up respeccing her into a beastmaster ranger instead lol
Yah, Nyrulna is BROKEN on Throwing builds, especially with Lightning Charges boots when you dash (as a bonus action cus rogue), then the Illumination Ring thing (+2 radiant on targets), AND Tavern Brawler. For some reason the 2 radiant damage procs on ALL damage rolls, so the bugs from Enraged Throw and possibly Sneak Attack actually result in like +6 radiant damage on 1 attack. Honestly, I did Karlach as a Tavern Brawler melee monk with 1 level in Barbarian and it was beyond broken. I had to stop using her because she trivialised literally the entire game. I think Tavern Brawler is currently the single most broken feat in the game without debate and can fundamental break the entire balance of the game with TWO DIFFERENT PLAYSTYLES. It's actually crazy that Tavern Brawler makes both Unarmed and Throwing builds vastly superior to basically any other option and makes even Tactician difficulty a joke.
Be careful with Nyrulne; since the Aoe is so large it can easily hit your allies and then you have to roll concentration saves. The Dwarven Thrower is safer in that regard; it also returns after a throw and actually deals more damage for single-target if you're a Dwarf or Disguise Self into one. (Much like Lightning Charges or Phalar Aluve's Shriek, it adds another damage source to which all your throwing damage bonuses apply.) Naturally, I run around with both on hand and use them depending on situation (distant vs close targets) or enemy resistances (piercing vs bludgeoning).
At first I was a bit skeptical about Wyll multi-classing as a bard, but then I heard him muttering to himself about what to name the next chapter in his own adventure and my mind changed so fast
The sponsor for this week is sweet. Mostly for the fact of sealing our warlock pacts to Colby. We invoke his name gaining knowledge, entertainment and discounts. Woot
5/5 warlock/bard. 2 lvls Paladin. That seems pretty on-point. You're trading the 3rd attack for Divine Smite. But I can accept that. My only problem with Pact of the Blade is I always forget to use it until midway through the 1st battle. Which means I have to use it after the battle. 😂
I was really looking forward to an approach to trickery cleric for shadowheart. It's difficult to run, which necessarily means it's just not as good as an easier subclass, but it can still be leveraged effectively. I guess the Storm domain kinda works thematically, but it'd be cool to see Trickery Shadowheart revisited. Particularly with a little bit of attention to the affect some early gear could have to tie it all together.
You seem like the right person to ask this question, is naming another site on a site your watching considered discourteous? I saw that Shadowheart build on a another site and would tell you later if it's appropriate.
Do spells automatically deactivate invisibility ( ignoring stealth check )? If so I'd go with Rogue Trickster build. Invisibility is the only i can see this domain matching up in power and effectiveness.
Considering how Shadowheart got trained in the way of torture and Shar in general, I think it also makes sense for her to be a Rogue Assassin or Gloomstalker Ranger
This is what my friend and I are doing with her. We decided Gloom Stalker 5 Assassin 3 Trickery Domain 4 is thematically fitting and strong enough, if not obviously the best compared to say going Fighter instead.
For dual wielding wyll, there is a rapier that specifically uses charisma in the game, so you could just use that as your off hand while u use your pact weapon as your main hand.
Big fan of all your Baldur's Gate 3 build videos, Colby. Also mad respect for your great taste in the objective best waifu candidate in the game. I recently spec'd Shadowheart into a person I threw off the nautiloid when starting the game, so I'm the Cleric now. I say that, but I'm really going with your Cleric 1 / Bard 11 support build to face and be merry. So my only other option for a companion currently besides my besties Karlach and Wyll is Gale, which means I sadly have to likely wait for next week's video to get him suited up. I'll just go with Control Freak for now and see how it goes! Also, the true best romance option for Baldur's Gate 3 is a threesome with your character, Karlach, and Gale casting Enlarge on Karlach.
COLBY! The dnd-meets-BG3 vids have been OUTSTANDING SIR! I hope they are bringing you many many views, you are so sweet and have such fun character concepts/optimization prowess, thanks for all the hard work you put in =))
I would argue that you’re absolutely right-Wyll is more a Bard with a Warlock Pact than a Warlock with Bard levels. I think he could be the one exception to the “keep them mostly in their core class” rule. Especially since Wyll notes that before the tadpole, he could conjure festering clouds-a reference to the Stinking Cloud spell, meaning he was at least level 5 before the tadpole weakened him. But meeting Tav and making the right decision with Karlach might mean that he looks for other sources of power than his pact. You know, like being the Bard he was always meant to be.
Stumbling over your channel was godsent! BG2 and DA:O disciple here (the two best RPGs ever made, hands down). I gifted myself BG3 this Xmas and am slowly getting into the game (general overview & turn-based combat). I always end up running a party of two magicians (one for the blasts, the second for utility, support & heals - one of them is me), one tank/melee (usually sword & shield, mostly Paladin), a rogue/archer for utility (locks & stealth), ranged attack & backup melee, plus a dedicated healer/buffer if there is place. Spent two days to find a nice setup (thanks also to you and others) and decided to go: Sorlock (myself, 10 Sorc/2 WL - no fighter) as damage dealer, Karlach (like her) as a Barb/Pally for melee, Asterion as rogue/archer for utility & backup, and Shadowheart as Cleric/Wiz (10/2 probably) for heals, buffs & utility/secondary dps magician. With this combo, I also have all stats served with at least one char. Thanks for the precious input, a Happy New Year, and greetings from Italy. you got a sub, of course :)
After the main 6 are done I'd love to see possible Halsin, Jaheira, Minsc and even Minthara builds. Especially given the changes to some of these characters in regards to earlier BG games (ehem *Minsc*). Druids are tricky for me personally so that would be super helpful 😊 Thanks for these first 6 though!
I made Minsc into a wild heart barbarian. I know he was a ranger in OG Baldur’s gate but dude is literally a berserker and wildheart seemed like a nice middle ground.
Minsc in the original BG games was a ranger with rage ability. So i went for Ranger 4 (hunter) / Barbarian 8 (wildheart). Originally i was going for STRanger build. But i went for more Barbarian because you can't take advantage ranger level because you you can't concentrate while raging. You can go for wasteland explorer fire for fire resistance and rage has physical resistance. But wildheart bear for all resistance except psychic. But personally went for elk heart for the charge to prone enemy. Jaheira in the original BG is fighter/Druid. So Fighter 5 (battlemaster)/Druid 7 (circle of the land). You can go for F6/D6 for the extra feat. But Druid 7 get's you 1 level 4 spell. I went for coast land spells because of misty step and mirror image. In my build, you don't have to go for two weapon fighting, even though Jaheira is wielding two weapons. Basiaclly i use, flame blade which you can get at druid 3. Which grants you a flame weapon that use spellcasting modifier, and sylvan scimitar (the weapon jaheira has when recruited) also uses wisdom. Basically i made Jaheira a shillelagh build without using the cantrip. Using spells like mirror image to keep her alive at melee. I didn't went for two weapon fighting style because i do not know if it's works on wisdom. EDIT: You can also for ranger 5 instead of fighter for more spell slots. I figure superiority dice was better for damage. Halsin, i went straight for moon druid. The problems is gear do not work on wildshape. It's the reason why i didn't go for moon druid for Jaheira. There are wildshape specific gear but it's in the middle of Act 3. I haven't done a evil campaign. I haven't experience Minthara. I guess a Paladin of vengeance is perfect for her. There numerous Pally builds Lockadin or Sorcadin would be my build for her.
If you get Jaheira's sword, staff and amulet from her basement, you can make a "canon" Jaheira build with 6 fighter/6 land druid. Go dual wielding for feat, Staff main hand, Belm offhand, cast shillelagh. Turn off dual wielding next to your character portrait so that you don't waste your bonus action on basic offhand attacks.
@@hyteclowlife Whilst this sounds awesome I'd be incredibly tempted to go Spores 6 for the Necrotic damage on attacks if we're going to be dual-wielding. I'm guessing Battlemaster because it's just like, the best, and we can get some wicked combos going, as well as 3 ASIs or Feats since we have Fighter 6. Dual-Wielding, +2 Wis, +2 Wis is probably the best bet. I'd be tempted to get the unique Spores armour from Act 3 (which is medium) so 14 Dex, then we can just go 16 Con for the saving throws and HP. It's a shame that Jaheira's unique weapon is a Shortsword because I'd love to use a Wis-longsword in the offhand but wielding any of the Arcane Battery staves is completely fine for our main hand. Land Druid DOES however give the possibility of Haste on ourselves which we already know is gonna be FANTASTIC, and probably meshes better with Jaheira's lore. That way we can have Halsin be a Bearbarian for the tanky moon wildshapes and leave Jaheira as a scout. Although, I believe Druids get Extra Attack at 5/6 for their Wildshapes, so you can even resort to one of those forms whilst Hasted or Call Lightning-ing to do good damage.
This actually ended up being my exact party comp on my current play-through. I love all of these builds so much. Wyll as a bard is so thematic. Karlach thrower build is so much fun and shadowheart as a tempest cleric is just *chefs kiss 🤌🏼
I have been trying my best as someone who has never played dnd before to do something like this where I keep the characters as their base class and use their personalities to define any multi classing and this guide helped me so much! Thank you I was looking for something exactly like this
I'm probably too late, but Colby and everyone else who likes this channel need to know - there is a mod for adding Bladesinging to BG3! And yes, there's a mod that adds Booming Blade, so you can feel like a real bladesinger :)
You are my new hero. Seriously, Loving the content. I would love to hear a podcast on the psychology used in creating all these characters. The writing is on point. The characters are so beautifully flawed and, I think I learned a lot about myself based on my choices during my first play through.
Absolutely love these builds, cannot wait for part 2! I will note , i hate that when i search for D4, i get diablo stuff it clearly doesn’t know me well
This is such a well presented video. Your presence is very calming yet engaging, and I was really expecting this topic to be presented as just “here’s the best cleric build.” Thankfully, you put a lot of effort into trying to keep the characters true to their selves, and it really showed. This is my first time seeing your videos; sub earned 👍🏻
Suggestion for Shadowheart if you want to keep her Trickery Domain: Respec her and get lvl 1 in Rogue for the Dex proficiencies and make her your lockpicker, then fetch 3 levels into Trickery Domain and for the rest you can go Rogue, going Thief subclass and dual wielding crossbows. She can buff the stealth of her entire party and invoke duplicity or use bless without her concentration getting broken as she’s long range with crossbow and has good stealth on bonus action as a Rogue.
It's actually not bad to start with odd numbers depending on how you are planning your build. When you get feats you can increase two abilities into evens or increase one to even and get a bonus effect. There are also items that increase ability scores. This allows you to spread the points and be more balanced.
Congrats on your silver play button, you really deserve it! I’ve been watching your content since your original blade singer video and it’s awesome to see your channel grow as much as it has! Keep up the great work!
Tempest cleric was my first go-to for Shadowheart because of how much juicy flavor text it adds to her character, especially a shadow heart that you convince to [do the spoiler thing at the end of act 2 that involves throwing away a spear]. It sews the seeds for a character arc about a genuinely good person being groomed and blinded by her faith to Shar. The inner turmoil surrounding her faith manifesting as storms. There's also cool symbolism where her name represents the duality between light and dark. Meanwhile lightning, lights up dark storm clouds, like a light in the darkness.
I really love your Karlach build. I definitely will give this a go in my next playthrough. I'm currently running a Barbadin (I think that's what you would call a Barbadin Paladin.) Lore wise it fits in my opinion do to the fact of her wanting vengeance on some one(I don't want to spoil it for people who haven't gotten that far yet.) and her being as you said that raging firery goddess.
Was admittedly hesitant, but also intriguing by the build you cooked up for Shadowheart. I was kinda enjoying what I was hearing for Karlach. But Wyll? Wyll sold me. I have now liked, subscribed, and I will be checking your channel for the Part 2, hopefully. Thank you very much for the video! 'Tis good stuff!
I built my Karlach for throwing! My husband and I sit there and giggle cuz Karlach carries us. She killed someone with a bucket and I thought my husband and I were gonna fall out of our chairs from laughing 😂 she is the best, she's so precious
I took Shadowheart down the War Domain and I love it. The Wyll build is the one I'm using for him in the play through where I'm using him in my party. I'm using that build as one of my own characters too. Looking forward to what you do with Lae'zel and Gale. With Astarion, I took him Thief, dual hand crossbows, got the sharpshooter feat, then when 2 levels of fighter for Action Surge and Archery.
When respec'ing at Withers how do I change the pre-selected bonus stats for my companions? When I try to set up my Shadowheart with 16 wisdom and 16 intelligence the game won't let me because in the apply bonuses area wisdom and strength are already selected and it won't let me change them.
Your build videos have worked amazingly well on my companions. The Ultimate Blaster SorFighterLock build has turned my Wyll into an absolute beast and the Assassin-Monk build has turned Astarion into a blazing fists of fury punchbox who can still lockpick the hell out of stuff. It's really funny to see this skinny prettyboy vampire beating the crap out of people with his bare hands, lol.
I'd love to see your take on The Dark Urge, which feels like it needs to be some sort of single or dual wielding dagger person, piercing damage build. Curious what you'd pick..
This is probably the best build guide for all companions, ive seen a few videos out there for companions but a lot of them just strive to make those characters the main powerhouse, which sometimes doesnt thematically fit the characters profile. Im greatful for these vids
Spoilers for Shadowheart: If you resolve her story with her reclaiming her Selunite legacy, you might want to respec her to a Life or Light domain cleric.
My Karlach is an Oath of the Ancients Paladin. It mixes very well with her Tiefling abilities and lets me fully heal the party every short rest with a single ability. Karlach, Lae'zel and Wyll are my main party at the beginning of the day and then I switch to Astarion, Shadowheart and Gael after I run out of short rests.
Highly anticipating Part 2. Gale is one of the more difficult ones to consider multi-classing, really interested in what you would suggest for our wizard.
2 Levels fighter, to get the Heavy Armor proficiency, and action surge, rest any spell caster, I picked Enchantment because he's got that Charisma. Then you can walk around with easily over 20 AC, and can double cast level'd spells. (Action Surge)
I've been ranting and raving to my friends about my Karlach Throwing build. I started doing it from an RP perspective, after (in desperation) I had her throw her boots as an attack, and she actually got the kill. Then the game dropped a returning pike and the RP build decision became by far the most mechanically powerful in my party.
I don't tend to look up builds for tabletop as my stats tend to be more character driven. So this is the first I'm seeing from you. You present this in a super chill way, subbing. Looking forward to seeing more like this. On my second run ATM so don't care about spoilers. But I really like how you handle them here.
I know this comment is months later, but Im starting BG3 for the first time, and while Im a min-maxer, I was becoming uncomfortable changing up these established characters too much, it broke the immersion to me. Thank you for this video. Appreciate you.
I have been watching you BG3 videos for so long, I have been craving to play it. Now finally it came out for Xbox and I can have some fun! Thanks so much for the amazing videos!
There are a number of great weapons for this version of Wyll. Particularly one you can get a certain point right at the end of act 2. And an even better legendary rapier can be found kind of hidden in act 3 that is ridiculously good for this build (just minus the shield)
Awesome builds, this is what i do with my companions - Astarion - I make him a Bard 4 College of Swords/Dual wielding hand crossbows and basically make him a gunslinger, and then go full rogue thief - Laezel - I just make her a Vengeange Paladin - her whole story line screams that she is in a cult, later on you can roleplay her into an oathbreaker when she goes against the githyanky - I love what you did with Wyll im gonna do the same - Karlach i dont respec her, i just buff her up and let her be wild and free - Since i like playing casters I dont use Gale so much (if I change him I make him a necromancer) - Shadowheart I go light domain for the disadvantage to enemy attacks
For my Shadowheart i used the cleric bard build from your first bg3 video, and i found it fitting to the cleric... My opinion, i found the the violin brings a "dark vibe" to her, and her snarky comments personality fits vicious mockery... And for Karlach, i kept barbarian util level 3 but muti-classed into vengeance paladin which i think fit quite well with her personality, fighting for justice and swear vengeance to those who wronged her...
I followed your fighter/warlock/sorceror build from your pre-release BG3 video and loved it and apparently we're on a similar wavelength now lol. I just finished my 3rd play through and used the exact same build as you've suggested for Wyll (only started as bard so it was bard 6->warlock 5->bard 7) and its fantastic fun. The rapier you can pick up in act 3 really brings it all together around the same time as you can be hitting 11 and its a huge power spike. Adding tadpole powers to it only makes it even better even if you never use anything but the cull the weak passive. I also had Shadowheart on a very similar tempest cleric build which also worked great. Thanks for more great fun builds!
Did the exact thing for Shadowheart! I also respec'd Lae'Zel after a similar story "change"(no spoiler) and love the character development and respec to help push that development into the battlefield!
I'm going with an all-Warlock party, with chain pact summoning imps and 1 member will be a Lockadin for my weapon pact face smasher. Having multiple summons and eldritch blasts on top of a self-healing tank is very fun and I even do Devil's Sight so they all can fire and melee from inside a darkness spell for a somewhat evil party smashing their way through many encounters.
YOOOOOO I did the Karlach build with the throwing trident Nyrulna + Additional Levels mod (the one that let's your character level go to 20 but none of your class levels go past 12). Karlach is an absolute beast. Took out 5 enemies completely alone in the Forge just now in one turn. Since Nyrulna already returns to your hand, I didn't bother with extra levels of anything but Barbarian. Now I just need to figure out the optimized way to prevent Thunder damage on my other melee folks #friendlyfire Thanks!! Can't wait for part II....I even liked and subbed
That's what i use, too. She does massive damage with that. Spoiler: You get Nyrulna from the Djinni in the circus in Rivington (Baldur's Gate area), you need to steal his Djinni ring first, then play his game. Be prepared to fight or run away from dinosaurs in a solo encounter.
My brain enjoyed an unintentional joke. When you switched to black and white to say "trickery domain just isnt that good", it made me chuckle. Like spoiler, trickery just aint that good.
Perfect timing on this video. I started another playthrough after a 3 month break from BG3. These are the exact 3 companions I decided to use this time.
Recently got into your videos, this backlog of videos to watch is an absolute treat to try and go through. (I also love gishes. Bladesinger is always so tempting) On another note about the wizard, I reread the spellcasting for wizard recently due to BG3's wizard single level dip "exploit". From what I can tell, you can transcribe a spell to your spell book if it is of a spell level you can prepare. As for preparing spells, you can prepare a number of wizard spells equal to int+ wizard level. The only requirement on the spells is that they must be a level that you have spell slots for. As such, it could be interpreted that you can do what you do in BG3 for learning wizard spells. Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher section, which is about the two spells you learn on level up, is the only one that references the Wizard table as a limitation on spells you can learn. The main limitation is that you have to choose which spells you have prepared at the end of a long rest, and a 1 level wizard multiclassed will have a severely limited number of prepared spells compared to a pure wizard. This means that the way spell preparation in BG3 operates enhances this a lot. So, kinda broken in BG3, but not as broken for tabletop. Still a bit confusing to read though.
fun fact: the eldritch kinght weapon bond works for any character, so you could respec one of your unused characters into ek and bond to a thrown weapon you like, then send that weapon to karlach so she gets it back every time you throw
I've been hoping you'd do this ever since I first saw a comment weeks ago. Imagine how fast I clicked this video as soon as I saw it show up on my subscriptions feed, Lol. Thank you, so much, for all of this work, Colby! I have so many new sticky note files with builds saved xD
GREAT VIDEO!! I love even the basic explanations for create water as i am not "creative" enough for stuff like this, but it gives ideas which is much appreciated! Looking forward to prt 2 and will watch the other stuff
It's interesting to me that Wyll is the one character that you could actually leave at 1 level of their starting class and have it still feel pretty thematic and on point. Swords Bard feels like what he would have been if he wasn't "forced" into the pact.
